


Need

by philos_manthanein



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Concussions, Established Relationship, Fluff, Handcuffs, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Resident Evil: Vendetta, Romance, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 15:25:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17789918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/philos_manthanein/pseuds/philos_manthanein
Summary: Chris just wants his surprise for Leon to go perfectly. It doesn't.





	Need

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Reno](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reno/gifts).



The grocery store is already a disaster of half-mangled bouquets of roses and smashed up boxes of chocolates. It’s as if every person with a romantic partner collectively forgot about the holiday, then simultaneously rushed out to get last-minute gifts. Chris hadn’t forgot - he’d ordered his gift for Leon way in advance - because he’s smarmy like that.

What he does need, however, is orange juice and a few more basic goods, and navigating through the gift displays at the front of the store is a nightmare in maneuvering. Some elderly lady plows her shopping cart into his side as he crosses into the cereal aisle. It doesn’t hurt really, but she apologizes. Chris apologizes back for no reason and then shuffles away. He doesn’t need cereal but it’s a more direct route to the back where the juices are cased.

Chris works quickly to grab what he needs. He’s already running behind schedule. Leon gets bored easily; it makes Chris worry for the safety of his apartment when he leaves his boyfriend alone for too long.

Man, it’s been over a year and he still gets a little pang in his chest thinking of calling Leon that: boyfriend. It was strange when they first started dating after the battle in New York, and it’s still a little weird now. It’s sweet and juvenile all at once. Doesn’t quite fit the depth and sincerity of how he feels. He’s never had such a long-term relationship before, rare past lovers being fleeting out of necessity because of his career and lifestyle. He wants more with Leon, has more now than ever, but still wants more too. He hopes Leon feels the same; not that he doubts Leon loves him but Leon’s always been a little difficult to predict.

Realizing he’s been staring at one loaf of bread for probably longer than is socially acceptable, he pulls it off the shelf and heads for the checkout. He only has a few things, so he chooses the self-check kiosk. The line seems to be moving faster there anyway. Still, it takes about 10 minutes before he’s bagged up and leaving.

Traffic is a mess. It’s what he gets for trying to get home late when everyone else in town is trying to do the same. Chris starts to feel anxious, not so much about the crowds of cars on the road but his upcoming surprise for Leon. He knows that Leon isn’t quite as sentimental, though he has his moments. But Chris is the more romantic one and he wants this to be special because Leon is so special to him. He’s worried that maybe it’s a little too much even though it’s meaningful. What if Leon doesn’t like it?

Killing zombies and taking down pharmaceutical conglomerates is demanding, but nothing can be as difficult as love sometimes.

Chris tries to push down the anxiety as he pulls under his covered parking space. He grabs his groceries and double checks his jacket pocket for Leon’s gift before heading inside. There are no alarms going off, so that’s a good sign. He smiles to himself. Their apartment is actually silent when he enters, maybe too silent, so he calls out for Leon as he’s shutting the door.

“I’m home!” He shouts as he locks the door.

“Alright Redfield, hands against the wall.” Comes Leon’s familiar voice from behind him.

Chris chuckles to himself and turns around to face Leon, holding up his gallon of orange juice and bags in both hands. “Hands are kinda full right now.”

Leon manages to pull his expression into something like annoyance, though Chris knows it’s fake because he can see the hints of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. It’s not the first time he’s tried this whole cop roleplay thing. It never really works; they always end up laughing at each other in the end. Chris thinks it’s funny and cute every time.

“Okay fine, put that stuff away first.” Leon shrugs and walks toward the kitchen first.

“You’re so generous, officer.” Chris laughs and follows him.

The moment Chris gets the groceries put away, Leon is up behind him. Leon grabs his arms and pulls them behind his back. Chris doesn’t resist, even when he feels the cool metal of one handcuff lock over his left wrist.

“Now you’re under arrest.” Leon says as he fiddles around with the second cuff.

“Can I ask what for?” Chris questions, shaking his head and grinning.

“Reasons…” Leon grunts out, still struggling to figure out how to get the cuffs latched correctly, “What the fuck, these things…”

“You need help back there?” Chris laughs, tempted to turn this situation around on Leon.

“Shut up. I was only a cop for a day, okay?” Leon grumbles, then finally manages to hook and clasp the cuff on loosely. “There! You know, this would be easier if you didn’t have goddamn bison arms.”

“You love my muscles.” Chris points out.

“True…” Leon’s voice sounds thoughtful.

Leon runs a hand over Chris’s left arm, squeezing his bicep through the sleeve of his green jacket. It makes Chris feel warm inside when his body is appreciated, especially when Leon is the one doing it. He feels Leon pull and tug at him and he lets himself be manipulated into turning around. As soon as he does, Leon pulls at the collar of his jacket to bring him down into a soft, inviting kiss.

“Welcome back, I missed you,” Leon says quietly after they part.

“Sorry my errands took so long,” Chris apologizes and pecks a kiss against Leon’s lips again, “Is that what I’m being arrested for?”

“Something like that, sure,” Leon smirks and gives Chris another kiss as well - this one a little harder and longer - making Chris’s heart flutter happily in his chest. “Now I get to frisk you.”

And then Chris feels his stomach bottom out.

“What?” He asks dumbly.

“You heard me,” Leon teases, slipping his hands down Chris’s sides.

Chris thinks of the small box in his jacket pocket - Leon’s gift - and panic boils up in his guts. He had plans to make the reveal perfect, and this was so opposite of that. He pulls back from Leon’s grasp suddenly, taking a few steps back. Leon’s expression becomes incredulous as he watches.

“What the hell, Chris?” Leon laughs and steps toward Chris, “Playing hard to get?”

“Not quite that,” Chris says, circling around to stay out of arm’s length of Leon. He might have an advantage of strength over Leon, but the younger man was more agile, clever.

“Then… You’re hiding something,” Leon stabs at a guess and grins because it was obvious. “What are you hiding from me?”

“Some...thing…” Chris says avoidantly, “Get the cuffs off and I can give it to you?”

Leon feigns like he’s thinking about it, but Chris knows better. Leon likes a challenge and he just sort of unintentionally issued one. He’s fucked.

“It’s a present for me, isn’t it?” Leon asks even though he already knows, advancing on Chris.

Chris tries to pull the cuffs apart behind him but they’re pretty damn strong and only get tighter the more he tries. He backs up into the living room, still facing Leon and still trying to pull the chain apart. He feels it give a little. If he can stall more he’ll be free and able to proceed somewhat according to plan.

“Yeah, it is, but I wanna give it to you right,” Chris tries to explain as he backs up.

That only seems to make Leon more intrigued. Leon sucks on his own bottom lip. Chris can practically see the wheels turning as he considers all the possible options of what his gift could be. From the look on his face he probably thinks it’s something sexy, or maybe edible, or both. That wouldn’t be too different from last year, when they spent most of their first Valentine’s Day naked and in bed together.

“And just how are you planning to ‘give it to me’?” Leon’s voice goes all sultry.

“Leon…” Chris strains both his voice and his arms.

Backing himself up until his rear is pressed against the back of the couch, Chris finally manages to break apart the chain of the handcuffs. He also loses his balance from the sudden change in his posture. In seconds he falls backwards, over the couch, and onto the floor on the other side with a tremendous thud.

Chris’s vision goes black for a moment or two. When he finally blinks his sight back, Leon is already at this side with an expression of genuine concern. His legs are still sprawled awkwardly on the cushions of the couch and his back is on the floor. The back of his head aches. Maybe he hit it on the coffee table or the floor, he can’t quite remember.

“Holy shit. Are you okay?” Leon worries over him.

“Isn’t that usually my line?” Chris jokes even though he’s wincing.

Leon laughs but his eyes betray the fact he feels bad. “I’m sorry. That was stupid. I should’ve just let you out.”

Chris shakes his head to discourage that kind of thinking, but the action makes his head feel all soupy. “It’s okay, I guess I should have been more forward.”

Figuring now would be as good a time as any, Chris reaches for the box in his pocket. But it isn’t there.

He feels nauseous.

“What,” He digs around in disbelief, “Where is it?”

Leon blinks at him, seeming to understand what Chris is looking for. He glances around then picks something up off the floor. A small velvety black box.

“This?” Leon asks quietly.

Chris feels his pulse fall, the worry dovetailing back into nervousness. “Yeah, that’s it.”

“Is it…” Leon’s voice seems to have an edge of anxiety to it too, which only makes Chris’s worse. “Can I open it?”

“Yeah…” Chris nods.

Chris carefully swings his legs off the couch and sits up slowly, still feeling dizzy from his fall. This isn’t at all how he planned for this to go. But maybe it’s good in its imperfection. They aren’t exactly perfect people, though if you asked him he’d say they are a perfect couple.

Leon snaps the lid open. The ring inside isn’t horribly exquisite; a simple white gold band with a middle section that looks like brushed metal. No engraving, because Chris couldn’t find a short enough phrase to accurately describe how he feels about Leon. He felt it says a lot without saying anything at all.

They stay quiet for a few long minutes with Leon staring at the ring and Chris staring at Leon. Leon takes the ring out and holds it in his fingers, turning it around and around.

“Chris, I’m…” He trails off, obviously trying to choose his words.

So Chris goes first.

“Leon,” He takes a deep breath, letting it out slow before continuing, “I know we’ve only actually been together a little over a year but… I know I’ve loved you longer than that. A lot longer. Maybe ever since we met? I don’t know.”

Chris rubs at his neck, feeling like the racing of his heart is beating the words out of his throat. He wants to sound more articulate, to say the perfect things. The romanticist inside him is cringing, but he continues on:

“There aren’t a whole lot of people that understand the kind of shit we go through. And yeah, we’ve taken different paths and we work in different ways, but when it comes down to it we care about the same things. And we care about each other, even if we haven’t always been great at showing it.”

“Chris…” Leon says and his voice sounds so small, fragile in ways it rarely does.

Maybe Chris is the only person who has ever heard him speak that way.

He turns his body a little so he can sit facing Leon. He clasps his hands around Leon’s, cupping them as Leon still holds the ring. Leon doesn’t look at him, head still lowered and looking at their hands in his lap. Chris rubs his thumbs against the back of Leon’s hands, hoping his callouses aren’t too rough when he wants to be tender.

“I wanna marry you, Leon, if you’ll let me?” That’s not how he wanted to ask, but that’s how it comes out. “I know it’s fucking terrifying and that we don’t exactly lead the ‘settling down’ kinda life but I feel like maybe that’s what makes this even more right. I don’t want or need some fancy ceremony or whatever I just… I just need you. No matter what happens, where this fucked up world takes us, if I can be with you for however long we stay alive I’ll be so happy…”

The living room is quiet again and Chris worries. He worries that he fucked up. That his words came out even worse than he thought they did. That none of what he said mattered because even though Leon loves him, he doesn’t want this for their relationship. Again Chris starts to feel sick to his stomach. But he waits patiently, holding Leon’s hands for as long as he’ll allow.

Leon takes his hands away from Chris’s and Chris feels his heart sink a little. He watches as Leon sighs, then finally looks up to meet his eyes. There’s something like sadness there, but also something else that Chris can’t quite place. It pulls at him.

Unpredictable as always, Leon smiles.

“I already knew all that stuff,” Leon says with a soft laugh that makes Chris feel like he could cry with joy, “And I feel the same way, too, Chris. Don’t you know that?”

Chris laughs too - louder than Leon - feeling something bright and warm squirming into all the places he was holding his anxieties. “I do… Now I do.”

“Good,” Leon says.

He takes the ring and slips it on his finger, pausing to look at it again. Chris grabs his hand and lifts it to his mouth, kissing the ring. Leon rolls his eyes, like he always does when Chris does something obscenely romantic. Then he chuckles again.

“I didn’t even get you anything, again,” Leon huffs, “I mean I guess I technically gave you a concussion.”

Chris kisses Leon’s ring finger again, then grins at him.

“It’s the best concussion I’ve ever had.”


End file.
